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Manon Carpenter

Kevin

Turbo Monkey
Ehrm, not everyone is doing it for the money either.
People just want to be the best at what they love. And they love it so much its even worth taking that risk of getting hurt.
Ofcourse Im not talking about the veterans here, i understand it might be different for guys like Minnaar, Peat, Hannah, Needles after being in the game for so long. But if they werent motivated by anything else then money I doubt their carreers would have lasted as long as they did...

I raced dh all over Europe for years and even though I didnt completely suck at it I never had the genes to make it to the world cup level. (And yes I say genes because I believe thats about 70% of what makes a dh racer great. The other 30% are probably practicing, the people u ride with and the places you ride them with and finally the money and support you need to ride and race.)

Even with some sponsors (which were really more like bro deals) it was still costing me a shit load of money and time. The only thing i got out of it was the feeling of racing against the clock and pushing myself a lot harder then when I was just riding with my buddies which for me made it totally worth it.

Are the risks as big for your avarage weekend warrior as for world cup racer? I think thats debatable.
Sure world cup racers go faster but they are also more skilled. I think ive seen just as many people (or more) get hurt that didnt know what they were doing or that were just riding out of their comfort zone then ive seen accidents happen at races.
I already had my own company back then so the risk for me was probably higher then for most and I had no problem sending big jumps and gaps and nobody ever paid me anything for it.

I also dont have the id that more people are getting hurt now then say 10 years ago. Yes tracks have gotten faster and gnarlier but riders have also gotten better and bikes and gear have come a long way.

Manon stopping because shes not comfortable with the risks makes me wonder if she was really comfortable with them in the first place, but more power to her for actually being honest about it.
I always loved watching her race and she was definitly one of the fastest ladies to ever come down a mountain on two wheels. I have nothing but respect for her and her decision and Id like to thank her for making the world cup more fun to watch for all of us and I wish her all the best in the future.

Cheers
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,480
4,720
Australia
I'd estimate (on the generous side) maybe 1-2% of them do?
But only the ones the parlay it into a marketable personal brand like CG, Peaty, Nico, Warner.
I'm pretty sure CG had it made with or without MTB money. Isn't he like a car importer/nightclub owner/porn star? Someone mentioned Emily Batty earlier, and I'm fairly sure she was doing ok financially with or without MTB. A Porsche sponsorship doesn't hurt either.

Warner doesn't strike me as a man with a plan either, if Rebull hadn't taken over the Freecaster deal, sobered him up and sent him on media training I'd expect he'd be either a roadie for a metal band or a bare fist boxer in the gypsy boxing circuit.

There's definitely more money in the marketability aspects than in the actual winning/being at the top of the field. Guys like Fairclough and Gracia who might be top 10 contenders but not overall winners still made good coin from throwing down super sylish runs and getting the catalogue and advertising shoots etc.
 

aaronjb

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2010
1,105
659
Hot take: Would courses with more line choices, more natural terrain, fewer mega jumps (gasp!) and a good balance of terrain make a difference in determining which racers are most successful at the top level?

I really just want wide open grass turns back, of course. Off-camber, preferably.
 

Gallain

Monkey
Dec 28, 2001
183
43
Sweden
It's not that black and white.
One other option is that it just feels way nicer to ride a bike not wearing all that shit and how you feel (mentally) can make a huge difference to how you ride.
That feeling is partly why I ride with no helmet so much.

it actually feels way nicer to ride a bike in lycra too but fashion put a stop to that.
When fashion dictates more of your life then safety you really need to take a time out and think about your life choices...